BBC

Mark Hutchings of New South Wales Police: “We’re happy that the area we’re searching is the right area”

An air and sea search is continuing off the Australian coast for a man and a woman who appear to have fallen from a cruise ship on Wednesday night.

A surveillance camera on the Carnival Spirit showed the pair plunging from the mid deck, about 120km (75 miles) off the coastal city of Forster.

They were only discovered missing after the vessel docked in Sydney, some 300km south of Forster, on Thursday morning.

It is unclear if the two jumped or fell by accident.

The authorities say an aeroplane, a helicopter and boats are searching a 1,000 sq km (386 sq miles) area of the sea.

The 26-year-old woman and the 30-year-old man are believed to have been in the water since 20:50 local time on Wednesday (11:50 GMT).

“This is a tragic event at the moment, but we’re holding out hope we might be able to find these people alive,” New South Wales police officer Mark Hutchings said.

However, he added: “Obviously when you think about the circumstances of going over the side of a cruise ship I have serious concerns about the welfare of both those people.”

The vessel’s last stop before Sydney was Mare Island in New Caledonia on Monday.

Nearly 2,700 passengers were aboard the ship on a South Pacific Cruise.

The vessel is operated by Carnival Cruise Lines.

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